My Buescher NA And I

[Saxplayer67]

I'll get around to posting photos asap (in the middle of getting ready for a complete house refurbishment, for the arrival of our baby) but upon researching (i.e. surfing the net) my 1933 New Aristocrat, I find that the number 3 neck (which mine has) is considered rare and the best of the options offered at the time - why is it considered rare and the best?

I don't think it has any snap ins left (hard to see for the untrained eye) nor the screw in springs (again hard to see for me) but all bar one or two pearls are originals.

[saintsday]

From the Buescher neck guru, Mark Aronson:

"The transitional necks were #1, #2, #3...if marked with star/asterisk they indicate the same tapers. The #1 is the fastest taper...end bore at 0.465...#2 intermediate taper endbore 0.475 (very similar to the True Tone #1 neck); #3 slower taper...endbore 0.480.

The #1 has the best intonation...great octaves......the #3 the best response and ease of blowing and sound....poorest octaves...lots of stretch in the high register.

My custom necks are available in #1 and #3 taper. I can retaper any Buescher neck to approximate these tapers on request....cost $125. I do quite a few #2 transitional necks to #3 taper...and quite a few True Tones necks to #1 transitional taper.

Most Buescher aficionados/Rascher students prefer the #3 neck hands down (90/10). A few fine players (a la my exwife and Tom Gorin) prefer the #1 transitional taper neck due to its fine intonation qualities. I like the #3 because of the way it responds/sounds/blows....voices great. Mr. Rascher preferred the #3 neck after testing all the Buescher necks as well......both of his transitionals were equipped with the #3 taper neck. This neck became the mainstream neck design for the later Aristocrat instruments.....they are all large bore at 0.480."

[sax-ony]

For a broader perspective on NA neck numbers, this thread is worth a look:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=80466r&page=2

- particularly post 24 onwards.

In it I posted my experience with fully overhauled and excellently set-up NA altos with the 01 and the ** neck. My impressions of those two remain the same, and I still love playing the **, expecially now that I have a Vandoren Diamond Perfecta 6 mpc for it. It is a great match - wonderfully dark but with a brilliance on top somehow.

I have since acquired another NA, with a 3 neck. This still needs to go to my repairer, but it won't need a repad and is fully playable at the moment: seems as though it's going to be another really nice player.

The things is, they are all different. They all play really well (and with good intonation) once you've found a sympathetic mouthpiece. I don't aspire to play classical sax, so I can't comment on the Rascher thing; but I suspect that this quest for the "right" neck is really only relevant to a very small group of specialist classical players.

The NA is absolutely not only a classical horn, and if you want one for jazz then any of the possible necks might suit your particular style best - as always, it comes down to playing particular instruments without prejudice.

That's why I think neck numbers are an issue too far for most ordinary players: we have enough doubts on acquiring a vintage sax as it is. (Is it not going right because I'm not used to it, or because of the horn, or the set up, or the mouthpiece/lig/reed?) It really doesn't help to lose confidence in the neck as well!

Saintsday - I have to ask - what neck is on the NA you sold to the guy in the clip you posted (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3F_2m_JvA)?! ...and how much difference do you suppose it makes?;)

[saintsday]

For a broader perspective on NA neck numbers, this thread is worth a look:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=80466r&page=2

- particularly post 24 onwards.

In it I posted my experience with fully overhauled and excellently set-up NA altos with the 01 and the ** neck. My impressions of those two remain the same, and I still love playing the **, expecially now that I have a Vandoren Diamond Perfecta 6 mpc for it. It is a great match - wonderfully dark but with a brilliance on top somehow.

I have since acquired another NA, with a 3 neck. This still needs to go to my repairer, but it won't need a repad and is fully playable at the moment: seems as though it's going to be another really nice player.

The things is, they are all different. They all play really well (and with good intonation) once you've found a sympathetic mouthpiece. I don't aspire to play classical sax, so I can't comment on the Rascher thing; but I suspect that this quest for the "right" neck is really only relevant to a very small group of specialist classical players.

The NA is absolutely not only a classical horn, and if you want one for jazz then any of the possible necks might suit your particular style best - as always, it comes down to playing particular instruments without prejudice.

That's why I think neck numbers are an issue too far for most ordinary players: we have enough doubts on acquiring a vintage sax as it is. (Is it not going right because I'm not used to it, or because of the horn, or the set up, or the mouthpiece/lig/reed?) It really doesn't help to lose confidence in the neck as well!

Saintsday - I have to ask - what neck is on the NA you sold to the guy in the clip you posted (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3F_2m_JvA)?! ...and how much difference do you suppose it makes?;)

Great question and the answer proves your point. That one is a ** neck as are two of the three I still have, including my favorite which is re-lacquered.

I'd forgotten that other thread that you linked to and would still be curious about your thoughts when you get the horn with the 3 neck tweaked up. My 1 neck horn is currently not playable, but I should be able to remedy that next week and want to do some neck swapping to see if I can learn anything.

I like the old Woodwind Co. mouthpieces on this as well, although lately I've been using an old Lelandais HR that's marked 3 with a Gonzalez 3 3/4 that is finally breaking in to be playable for me. The easiest intonation for me on both these and TT's is, much to my surprise, a long shank Soloist C* that just seems to play in tune on almost anything. FWIW, I've never found a short shank that I could play in tune on anything.

[Saxplayer67]

Thanks for all your posts so far peeps.

I think it's silly to say this sax and that sax is good for a certain type of music. To me, a sax is a sax and an instrument is an instrument, you use it for what you want. So I can play jazz, pop, rock, classical on a Buescher NA, I can play it on the comb and paper, a musical saw, a kazoo, it doesn't matter. A friend of mine plays Bach and Mozart etc. with string quartets - his instrument is electric guitar.

I have found that the intonation across the range is very good, my D fourth line is not slightly sharp as it is on my B & S made Meister (I still love it, being my first purchased sax and always will).

The Buescher sounds fine with my Meyer HR 6M and it likes my Dukoff D7 also. I think the Buescher is very flexible when it comes to mouthpieces.